(Red Oak) – Snow or no snow, a “Winter Wonderland” event will take place this weekend, in Red Oak. Montgomery County Family YMCA Director John Blomstedt says this will be the third time in the last four-years they’ve held the event designed for children and their families. Last year, COVID precautions dictated the extent of the fun.

Blomstedt said their “Third/fourth annual Winter Wonderland” will take place from 1-until 5-p.m., Sunday. It’s free and open to all families to help people get “Into the holiday spirit.” That includes fire truck and hay rides.

Santa will be there also, and possibly, Mrs. Claus, along with treats.

A craft table will be set up in the Montgomery County YMCA gym, also. Blomstedt said persons interested in participating in the fire truck and hay rides, need to pre-register at www.MCYMCA.com. Several spots for the fire truck ride are already filled, but there’s still time to get your child’s name on the list.

He said they are not taking phone registrations for the rides, but the forms can be e-mailed or handed out directly at the Y, if you don’t have internet access. Blomstedt says the event is make possible thanks to their sponsors: Red Oak Fareway and Hy-Vee Stores, for donations of cookie decorating supplies, the hot dogs and buns, and hot chocolate and the Red Oak Greenhouse, which has donated about 30 poinsettias for display around the YMCA.

He said they also appreciate Dave and Debbie Gammell, of Elliott, for providing being generous with their time in handling the fire truck rides, and Tony Johnson for the hay rack rides. For more information, call 712-623-2161.

(Radio Iowa) – Democrat Mike Franken, the retired Navy admiral who’s running for the U.S. Senate, says he’d vote to provide the same level of health care to all Americans that he got during his 36-year military career.  “It’s all encompassing to include preventive care and dental care,” Franken says. “That increases one’s quality of life and productivity, so in my world every American would have the type of health care that military service members get.”

Franken is one of four candidates who’ve announced they intend to compete for the Iowa Democratic Party’s 2022 U.S. Senate nomination and the chance to challenge Republican Senator Chuck Grassley next November. “After 60 years, most politicians have a substantial list of accomplishments, of bills with their names on it that are nationwide famous,” Franken says. “…He has been just above the radar, doing a job, but not doing a great job.”

Retired Vice Admiral/Iowa Senate candidate, Mike Franken.

Grassley was first elected to the Iowa House in 1958. He was elected to the U.S. House in 1974 and has been a member of the U.S. Senate since 1981. Franken is a native of Sioux Center and currently lives in Sioux City. Franken ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate in 2020 when Republican Joni Ernst was seeking reeleciton. He finished second in the Democratic Primary to party nominee Theresa Greenfield.

Officials with the Creston Police Department report 26-year-old Michael Skylar Ross, of Creston, was arrested at around 8-p.m. Wednesday, for Violation of a No Contact/Protective Order. Ross was being held without bond in the Union County Jail, until seen by a judge.

And, a Creston man reported to police Wednesday afternoon, that someone stole a Baby Jesus display and power cord from the First Presbyterian Church, in Creston. The loss was estimated at $56.

(Radio Iowa) – The latest Covid patient count in Iowa hospitals marks another record high for 2021. The 777 figure announced Wednesday is a seven percent increase since Dec. 1st. Theresa Brennan is the Chief Medical Officer at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. “We continue to struggle, as many hospitals in Iowa have continued to struggle, with making sure that we have beds for the patients that need them,” she says.

Brennan says the hospital continue to prepare for more Covid patients — including transfers from other hospitals — while employees are exhausted from the pandemic. “We’re working with the hospitals in Iowa to try to make sure that the sickest patients have the right bed to get the care that they need, but it is a struggle,” she says.

On Tuesday, the hospital on the University of Iowa campus had 40 adult Covid patients and three pediatric patients, under the age of 18, with the virus. Nearly 120 other patients with flu and Covid symptoms were screened by telephone or video conference Tuesday, according to the hospital’s website.

(Radio Iowa) – A key senator says he’ll propose charging educators with a felony if they provide obscene materials to students. Republican Senator Brad Zaun of Urbandale is chairman of the committee that would vote on the bill. Zaun says he’s concerned about two books in particular that central Iowa school boards have discussed banning. “It was brought to my attention by several parents, some of the garbage that is being taught to our kids,” Zaun says. “It is not appropriate.” Zaun says passages in the books describe unhealthy sexual situations. “All I want our schools to do is teach our kids to be successful when they get out of school, give them the tools that they need,” Zaun says, “and I think we need to put a stop to that garbage.”

Senate Democratic Leader Zach Wahls of Coralville says this debate makes Iowa less attractive to people who might move here for work. “Saying that we’re going to go after teachers and librarians is not going to make Iowa’s public education stronger,” Wahls says. Jennifer Konfrst of Windsor Heights, the Democratic Leader in the Iowa House, says book banning discussions aren’t helpful to companies trying to attract new workers. “Iowa’s brand gets damaged when stories are out there about things that fringe elements in the state are doing or proposing,” Konfrst says.

The legislators made their comments Wednesday morning, during a forum organized by the Greater Des Moines Partnership.